NS_TriggerEffect

Connections: The Trigger Effect

Sometimes, a complex chain of events can begin from one simple step. With a CD player, pushing one button can make a disk spin, turn on a laser beam, and move the beam to a particular location within moments, so that electrons can move back and forth in a wire, and vibrate the air next to your ear. One button triggered all of that!

At other times, the complex chain of events comes from one simple step, but leads to disaster. James Burke is a science journalist who produced a video exploring the role of technology in society and the history of the scientific discoveries that led us to that technology. Here, we will watch segments of the first episode.

This is related to an old proverb, "For the Want of a Nail":
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

In this episode, the kingdom is replaced with our modern civilization, and our nail is a simple electrical switch.

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...skip forward 10 minutes...

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